Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

Tsipras’ capitulation and the general strike against the agreement

Despite the resounding NO at the referendum last July 5, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accepted the demands made by the Troika. A new austerity package is on the way. Syriza has ignored the people’s mandate. The call for a general strike by the public workers federation will pose the first challenge to the government.

Celeste Murillo

July 14, 2015
Facebook Twitter Share

Syriza took office last January, delivering promises of an end to the memoranda signed by its predecessors of PASOK and New Democracy, and the Troika. The austerity plans led to a real economic destruction, with an unemployment rate of 27% –up to 60% within the youth, and the debt reaching 180 % of the GDP.

Far from the promised “anti-austerity government”, Syriza became the “third memorandum” government, accepting one by one the demands of the European Union. The acceptance of harsh conditions to avoid the “Grexit” came after trusting in a Troika that is “willing to negotiate.”

This week Tsipras will seek Parliamentary support to approve the austerity plan (even harsher than the one rejected last June). The Troika is not only asking for tough measures but is also setting an agenda for the Greek Parliament.

A new general strike

The public sector union federation ADEDY has called for a general strike against the new memorandum on the same day of the Congressional vote. This strike will be the first one held by ADEDY since Tsipras took office, but it won’t be the first strike against the Syriza government. At the end of May, doctors and health workers shut down the public hospitals demanding more staff and more money for the public health care system.

According to the ADEDY’s statement, “We are calling for a 24 hour strike at the same time that the Congress will be voting for the unpopular agreement; we are calling a rally at 7 pm at Syntagma Square.”

During the last five years, the Greek working class took part in 33 general strikes against Pasok and the New Democracy governments. This 24-hour strike represents the first one against Trispras’ government and its agreement with the creditors. The general strike will come a week after the resounding victory of the NO vote in the referendum.

Sources:

La capitulación de Tsipras y el fin de una ilusión

Huelga de trabajadores públicos contra el acuerdo de Tsipras y la Troika

Facebook Twitter Share

Celeste Murillo

Celeste is a leader of the Socialist Workers' Party (PTS) and a founder of the women's group Pan y Rosas (Bread and Roses) in Argentina. She is a host of the radio program El Círculo Rojo where she focusses on culture and gender.

Twitter

Europe

Nancy Fraser, Jacques Rancière, Silvia Federicci and many others say: Stop the Criminalization of Palestine Solidarity in France!

Anasse Kazib, a union activist and former presidential candidate, was recently interrogated by French anti-terrorist police. In this open letter, more than 800 prominent intellectuals and activists call to stand united against the criminalization of Palestine solidarity.

A mash-up of Macron over a palestinian flag and articles detailing the rising repression

Against the Criminalization of Opinion and in Defense of Our Right to Support Palestine: We Must Stand Up!

In France, the repression of Palestine supporters is escalating. A conference by La France Insoumise (LFI) has been banned; a union leader has been arrested and charged for speaking out for Palestine; court cases have increased against those who “condone terrorism”; and the state has stepped up its “anti-terrorism” efforts. In the face of all this, we must stand together.

Nathan Deas

April 23, 2024

Occupy Against the Occupation: Protest Camp in Front of Germany’s Parliament

Since Monday, April 8, pro-Palestinian activists have been braving Germany's bleak climate — both meteorological and political — to protest the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and the unconditional German support for it. 

Erik de Jong

April 20, 2024

Thousands of Police Deployed to Shut Down Congress on Palestine in Berlin

This weekend, a Palestine Congress was supposed to take place in the German capital. But 2,500 police were mobilized and shut down the event before the first speech could be held. Multiple Jewish comrades were arrested.

Nathaniel Flakin

April 12, 2024

MOST RECENT

Tents on a lawn in front of university buildings

Unite the Encampments Against Repression and for a Free Palestine

Student encampments in solidarity with Gaza are cropping up across the country and are facing intense repression by police acting on behalf of university officials. Defending the occupations requires uniting outrage with these attacks on the right to protest with broad support for Palestine across the student movement and the labor movement.

Left Voice

April 25, 2024
Five masked pro-Palestine protesters hold up a sign that reads "Liberated Zone"

Call for Submissions: Students, Staff, and Faculty Against the Genocide and Against the Repression of Pro-Palestine Movement

Are you a member of the student movement against the genocide in Gaza or a staff member/faculty supporter? We want to publish your thoughts and experiences.

Left Voice

April 25, 2024
Columbia University during the encampment for Palestine in April 2024.

To Defend Palestine and the Right to Protest, We Need the Broadest-Possible Unity

The past week has seen a marked escalation in the repression of the pro-Palestine movement, particularly on university campuses. In the face of these attacks, we needs broad support across all sectors.

Charlotte White

April 25, 2024
Texas State Troopers on horseback work to disperse pro-Palestinian students protesting the Israel-Hamas war on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin on Wednesday April 24.

Faculty at University of Texas Austin Strike in Solidarity with Student Protesters

Pro-Palestine movements on college campuses are facing harsh repression, and faculty across the nation are taking action in solidarity. At UT Austin, faculty are the first to call a strike in solidarity with their repressed students. More faculty across the country must follow suit.

Olivia Wood

April 25, 2024